Stock Photography is Highly Competitive

Learn to Make Your Photos REALLY Stand Out From The Crowd

There are hints just about everywhere as to what stock photography images you should take. You just need to know where to look!

Read any good magazines lately?

Did you see any adverts in there?

What about shopping, have you been shopping lately?

What pictures were on the packaging?

Did you surf the internet before you came across this site?

Were there pictures on the pages?

I don’t mean to sound patronising, but the beauty of stock photography, is that it is everywhere!

Wherever you go and whatever you do, look around you. This time, don’t just look at the photographs from an onlookers point of view, look from a photographers (a stock photographers) point of view.

Check out what kind of photos are being used and what they are advertising. The chances are that a high percentage of them were bought from stock libraries. Think about what kind of photo would sell, or help to sell various products.

Ok! Where can I start?

Well, why not have a bit of a play. Think of a theme, like food (food is a massive demand item for stock photography and has been greatly covered) and go and buy some. Narrow it down to say bread. Buy:

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A rustic loaf of bread

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A block of cheddar cheese

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A jar of branded pickle

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A block of butter

Add some things like a nice bread knife, lettuce, fresh tomatoes with a spray of water on, wooden bread board. Are you getting the idea?

Stay on the rustic theme and arrange the lighting to look like morning light beaming through a kitchen window. Use a template to shine the light through maybe. Experiment with the light and maybe spray air freshener or boil the kettle to create a misty effect. Maybe a vase of fresh flowers in the background…I can see it now! This photo could be used for a pickle ad, or butter, or bread, or cheese …

Endless ideas for stock photography

My point is that once you start to think, the ideas for stock photography are endless. This is a good thing because to actually make "a living" from stock photography, you are going to need a lot of photographs.

Because there are so many people competing, make sure to read up on keywording your photos when you have submitted them. There’s no point in having 10,000 photos online if no-one can find them!

Set up a small makeshift studio somewhere in your house, permanently if possible. That way you are ready when the still life ideas start coming.

Take your camera with you everywhere, take photos of whatever catches your eye. Go through your current library of images (if you have any) and see if any could be used. Run them through a photo editor if necessary, to get them up to scratch.

Ask a couple of friends to be models for the day (they don’t have to be Kate Moss, everyday people are used mainly). Take some lifestyle shots, these are one of the biggest sellers. Shots like a couple drinking coffee in a street cafe, running along a beach, feeding the ducks. I could go on forever.

Visit a couple of stock libraries online and see what they have on their books. Don’t copy or plagiarize them, but use them to create ideas of your own.

Model and property releases

Always carry a bunch of model release forms with you. You will need a signed release form from the people in the photos if they are to be used as stock photography. Particularly in advertising campaigns.

If you take photographs of buildings, get a property release from the owner for that too! Sounds strange, but the owner of an idyllic looking cottage you would like to use on a biscuit tin, may not want his home on all the coffee tables throughout the country.

Read the rules that are available through all reputable stock agencies before you start. Then go out and get ’em! Make sure you check out the requirements at each agency too because each one is different.

What is acceptable and ok at one agency may not be so good for another agency. iStock are a prime example of this. They tend to be a lot stricter that other agencies so by following their high standards. You are more likely to do well at other agencies.

Don’t be disappointed if your work doesn’t sell immediately, or a few of your images are rejected. Because like anything, stock photography is a learning process. Also, the more images you get online, the more you will sell and the more you sell, the more they are worth. You will also find that some buyers will add you to their favourite photographers list and when you upload fresh images, they get informed which will hopefully bring in a few sales each time.

With a bit of hard work, perseverance and consistent uploading, it is possible to make a career from shooting stock, just get clicking!